Gun sight



Q. R00 me 2 103,189 5R 931011 Dec. 21, 1937. 2,103,189

S. D. SHEPARD GUN SIGHT Filed Jan. 25, 1955 dit. titUIt'ltIiiiLALIltoinuwim ne,

Patented Dec. 21, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to sights for use on rearms, and moreparticularly to-rear sights for use on rifles and similar weapons.

In the prior art there have been a variety of sights suggested for use.While some of these have proved satisfactory they are of relativelyexpensive construction. Further in many prior art sights, the sightingdevices depend for utility on structures which at least in partinterpose obstructions in the line of sight, and any such obstructioneven though of relatively small size is of course undesirable.

One of the objects of the present invention is the production of a gunsight of relatively inexpensive construction.

Other objects include a sight that is capable of rapid sight alignmentwithout interposition of any substantial obstruction in the line ofsight.

Still further objects and advantages will appear from the more detaileddescription set forth below, it being understood, however, that suchmore detailed description is given by way of illustration andexplanation only, and not by way of limitation, since various changestherein may be made therein by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

In connection with that more detailed description, there is shown in theaccompanying drawing, in

Figure 1, a fragmentary side elevational view of a rifle type barrelcarrying a gun sight in accordance with the present invention; in

Figure 2, a section on the line 2-2 of Figure l looking in the directionof the arrow; and in Figure 3, a front elevation of the plate portion ofthe sight carrying distance symbolizing openlngs.

As illustrated in the drawing, the sight involved in the presentinvention is of the rear sight type preferably, and is generallyindicated at I in Figure 1, and as indicated may be hingedly mounted asshown at 2 on the rifle barrel 3. Such hinge mounting is desirablebecause it permits the sight to be swung down contiguous to the barrelwhen the sight is not in use. The hinge mounting is thus preferred, butany other type of mounting and a rigid mounting may be utilized ifdesired. The sight of the present invention may be used in conjunctionwith any and all front gun sights available on the market today, onesuch type of sight being illustrated at 4,

In connection with gun sights produced in accordance with the presentinvention, structures are employed in which the sighting is permittedthrough relatively small or narrow openings. By sighting through suchsmall or narrow openings, no obstruction is placed in the line of sight,so that the view is unimpaired. And further, the opening, through whichthe sighting is done is readily used, since light passes through suchopening, and visibility is unobscured even when the light, such as atdusk, is diminishing in character. However, in the use of such openingsfor sighting purposes, and also for distance indications as furtherexplained below, the light shining through such openings when suchopenings are of any material depth, as when the metal is relativelyheavy or thick, shows the usual aberration. The latter can be readilyavoided by having the sight made of relatively thin metal, and in suchcases there is no aberration of light.

A sight produced in accordance with these features of the invention isillustrated in the drawing. The sight generally indicated at I in Figure1 is desirably produced with a frame portion having side members 5, 5,each said side member being desirably provided with means for attachingit to the barrel 3, which means may take the form of an ear 6 with anopening 1 therethrough adapted to cooperate with an ear 8 mounted on thebarrel 3, and centrally thereof, so that the ears 6, 6 on the sidemembers 5, 5, and the ear 8 on the barrel 3 when placed contiguously toeach other as shown in Figure 2 form a hinge joint through which theusual pintle may be inserted and held in position. This type ofconstruction is inexpensive and readily produced, and oiers a simplehinge joint by which the sight may be mounted on the barrel. Each of theside members 5, 5, is provided along its inner wall portion with avertically extending groove 9 that extends the entire length of the sidemembers. These vertical grooves 9, 9 are adapted to receive the plateportion I of the sight.

The plate portion I0 is desirably produced from metal and may be readilystamped out of a sheet of metal of a thickness adapted to t the grooves9, 9, so that the metal plate I0 may be inserted into the grooves 9, 9and held in position therein. Desirably the plate I0 carries a headmember I I having rounded corners I2', I2', so that when the plateportion I0 is inserted into the grooves 9, 9, the head I I and the sidemembers 5, 5 form a continuous frame about the plate I0.

The plate II) carries the sighting openings, and any other indicia suchas distance symbolizing openings. While other means for indicatingdistances may be employed, the openings are desirably used for reasonsanalogous to those discussed above in connection with the use of thesighting openings, so that through these distance symbolizing openings,the light may pass through them, and they thus become readily usable inall conditions.

Desirably the sighting opening takes the form of a relatively small ornarrow opening, and as illustrated may consist of a vertically disposedslit I2 centrally located in the plate I0, running vertically throughmost of the length of the plate I0. By using a narrow vertical slit I2in this' way, the user is given an unobstructed view, and the slit maybe made narrow enough to insure absolute accuracy for when the frontsight shows inside the narrow slit the gun is perfectly aligned, and thenarrow vertical slit itself insures horizontal accuracy. While adiscontinuous vertical slit could be utilized, which would consist of aseries of vertical slots in alignment, desirably a continuous verticalopening is employed, so that there Will be no obstructions to the viewof the user.

Any type of distance symbolizing markings may be employed, but desirablyin accordance with the present invention, openings or apertures are cutthrough the plate portion I0 at various points therein, desirablyadjacent to the vertical slit I2. These distance symbolizing openingsmay be of any character and might actually take the form of numerals,but desirably symbols are employed to symbolize particular distances asfurther explained below. The arrangement of these distance symbolizingopenings is lsuch that when sighting is made by sighting at a particularpoint along the vertical slit I2 corresponding with one of the distancesymbolizing openings, on the sight 4 at the front of the gun, trained onthe desired object, the trajectory of the weapon is set for a particulardistance. Such distance symbolizing openings are indicated at I3 inFigure 2. For simplicity in` use and for ready distinguishing of thevarious distance symbols, a series of differently congured openings isemployed. This has been exemplified in the drawing where the squareopening |44 may be used to indicate sighting an object at a distance of100 yards; the triangular opening I5 for 200 yards; the half circle i5for 300 yards; the diamond II for 400 yards; the circle I8 for 500yards; the I 9 for 600 yards; the cross 20 for 700 yards; the doubletriangle 2l for 800 yards; the crescent 22 for 900 yards; and the star23 for distances of 1000 yards. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the seriesof distance symbolizing openings Ill to 23 are desirably arranged tocorrespond with the necessary trajectory of the weapon to produceaccurate sighting at the distances indicated thereon, and consequentlysince the trajectory of a high-power rearm is ilat for the first severalhundred yards, the figures or symbols denoting said distances arenecessarily closer together when the firearm is used at those smallerdistances, whereas they gradually separate as the distance for useincreases. The distance symbolizing openings I4-23 may, therefore, bearranged in a particular manner on the plate portion I0 in accordancewith recognized ordnance practice cr principles, and the symbolsemployed may become universally standardized for denite distances, sothat upon being memorized are as directly usable as numerals themselveswould be.

The vertical slit I2 is desirably provided with notches 24 horizontallyaligned with the distance symbolizing openings I4 to 23 so that accuratesighting is thus readily available. But by placing the distance openingsI4-23 close to the vertical slit I2, the notches 24 are not essential,but may desirably be employed. For intermediate distances a series ofsmall slots 25 may be employed, which are also desirably cut through themetal, and which are also desirably placed close to the vertical slitI2. By utilizing the vertical slit I2, the distance symbolizing openingsI4 to 23, and the slots 25 cut through the metal plate itself asparticularly indicated in Figure 4 ready sighting is effected, since thelight shines through such openings even under reduced lightingconditions such as at dawn or at dusk, and they are clearly seen even indim light.

A sight produced in accordance with the present invention desirablycomposed of the two parts including the frame portion made up of sidemembers 5, 5, and the plate portion I0 results in exceedinglyinexpensive articles. Thus the plate I0 may readily be made of thinsteel or other desired metal, and may be stamped from a metal sheet ofthe desired thickness. The plate portions I0 are thus readily replacedin case of breakage, or a series of metal plates I0 having indicia fordifferent ranges may be readily employed and used as a set in connectionwith particular nrearms.

In order to produce a more rigid structure, lugs or projections 26, 26may be provided on the ends of the head member I I, which lugs t intothe grooves 9, 9 when the plate portion is in position.

It will be seen that a structure of the character herein set forth isinexpensively manufactured, but produces a sight that is readilyemployed at varying distances without requiring any movement of parts ofthe sighting devices, and without requiring moving parts on such sights.This enables accurate sighting to take place under almost all lightingconditions as long as there is some light available, since the openingspermit the light to shine through and distinctly accentuate theparticular sighting desired. Further, as pointed out above, by havingthe plate portion I0 of relatively thin metal light aberration can besubstantially eliminated.

Having thus set forth my invention, I claim:

A gun sight consisting of two detachable parts; one part consisting ofan integral `U-sha'ped frame having means for hingedly mounting thesamewonnanfirearm, ''ch"o'f'tl'vertlle of said frame havi'i'g`a"longitudinal groove on the inner face thereof; the second partconsisting of a thin sheet metal plate having its vertical edgesslidable in said grooves, said plate having a rigid bar attached to thetop edge thereof with portions eX- tending edgewise therefrom, saidportions resting on the ends of said legs and having means interengagingwith said legs whereby the frame around said plate is rigidied; saidplate having openings for sighting, such openings including a narrowvertical slit centrally placed in said plate and distance symbolizingopenings adjacent said vertical slit, said slit having slightenlargements adjacent such symbolizing openings.

SAMUEL D. SHEPARD.

